Sound-producing device suitable for sirens, &amp;c.



' Pafented June I7, I902. H. HOPE-JONES. SOUND PRODUCING DEVICE SUITABLEFOR 'SIRENS, 8L0. (Application fll ed Nov. 28, 1901.) (No Model.)

2 Sheets-sheaf 4 A B 1 q 15 //v VENTOR.

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No. 702,552. Patented lune l7, I902.

. n. HOPE-JONES.

SOUND PRODUCING DEVICE SUITABLE FOR SIRENS, 8L0.

(Application filed Nov. 26, 1901.;

(No Model.) 2 Sheets8heet 2.

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THE Noam PETERS co, PNDTO-LITHO. WASHINGTON o. c,

. UNITED STATES PATENT ROBERT HOPE-JONES, OF HEREFORD, ENGLAND, ASSIGNOR TO THE HAMIL- TON-FOSTER FOG SIGNAL COMPANY, OF NEW TION OFCONNECTICUT.

YORK, N. Y., A CORPORA- SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No.702,557, dated June 17, 1902.

' Application filed November 26, 1901 Serial No. 83,725. (No model.) I

T at whom it may concern.-

Be it knownthat I, ROBERTHOPE-J ONES, a subject of His-Majesty the Kingof Great Britaimresiding at'Hereford, in thecounty of Hereford, England,have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Sound- ProducingDevices Suitable for Sirens and Like Instruments, of'which the followingis a specification.

to My invention relates to an improvementin sound-producing devicessuitable for sirens or like fog-signaling orposition locating de vices.

In the course of experimentsl have made in connection withsound-producing devices for organ and like work I have proposed the useof a device or diaphone in which the sound is obtained by the rapidvibration of a perforated piston in the interior of a simizolarly-perforated cylinder, which piston interrupts acolumn ofair passingthrough the perforations of the cylinder, so that a series of puffs ofair are discharged into a resonating chamber or trumpet.

for various reasons, among them being the fact that it will not alwaysstart automatically and is therefore unsuitable for'signaling purposes.

The object of my present invention is to obviate these defects, andaccording to same I combine with the arrangement above de-' scribed avibrating engine whereby the 'pis-,

ton is positively and automatically recipro- 3 5 cated, preferably bythe same column of-air which passes through the cylinder and piston andproduces the sound, though it may tion of the piston on line A B ofFig. 1. Fig. 7 3 is a sectional elevation of the combined engine andsound-producing device. Fig. 4 is Difficulty, however, 2 5 has beenexperienced With this arrangement la section on line CD of Fig. 3, and'Fig. 5 is a one-half sectional elevation of :the' apparatusshown inFig.3 to show a different position of theparts. p r g Referringfirst toFigs. land-2, 1 is a casing provided with a suitable cover 2 and formingat its lower parts. cylinder 3. A-compressed-air or other suitable fluidsupply pipe A communicates with the chamber 5.so formed. The casinglisattached to a second casing '6, (or formed-in one with same,) which cas-'i'ng forms a chamber 7,'into which the open endof cylinder 3 projects.-Sis a piston having a tubular part or guide 9, which latter passesthrough the cover 2, while the piston is capable of reciprocating in thecylinder 3. This cylinder has an annular passage 11 or a series ofpassages in its walls, and the piston 8 has a similar annular passage 10or a series of passages communicating with its ,in' the cylinder 3 mayalso be formed in the same way by connecting the lower part of thecylinder to the upper part (in this instance the casing 1) by webs 14.It is desirable to limit the movement of the piston in both directions,so that, on the one hand, it may not rise too high and, on the other, itcannot fall when not in use to the bottom of the chamher 7, so as to beout of position when it is to start. The upper stop may be obtained. bya tubular extension 15, carried by the cap 2, and the lower by a flange16 on the cylinder 3. These stops, however, may be ob- 9o tained by manyother constructions. If the engine is to operate an independentsoundproducing device, the piston may carry a rod 1'7, passing out ofthe chamber 6, to which the part in question can be connected.

In Figs. 3 to 5 the parts as far as the engine is concerned are thesame,but with modifications necessary for combining therewith in oneapparatus a sound producing device.

This sound-producing device consists of the too o 21, forming the upperpart of cylinder 0,

5 into rapid vibration.

cylinder or tubular extension 15, having a series of annular passages 18therein, adapted to correspond with similar passages 19 in the piston ortubular guide 9. In the case of the 5 piston the rings of metal soformed are held 5 fluid under pressure enters the chamber 5 from passage4, and after filling the former exerts the pressure upon the piston Sand forces it down, the air beneath the piston in chamber 7 escaping byway of passages 11 o and exhaust-passage 10 in piston 8 into the tubularpart 9, the parts being in the position shown in Figs. 1 and A continuedmovement of the piston, however, will close the exhaust-port and openthe passage 11 to the 5 fluid under pressure, as shown in Fig. 5,whichwill thus immediately rush into chamber 7 and acting on the largesurface 12 of the piston will force it in the opposite direction untilthe exhaust-port 10 is again in correspondonce with passage 11, when thepressure will be relieved and the cycle of operations be repeated, sothat the piston will be kept in a state of rapid vibration. Thevibration alone of this part will produce a musical note; but

I prefer to combine with it some vibrating sound-producing device of asuitable character either by attaching same to the rod 17 or combiningit therewith, as in Figs. 3 to 5, in which the air in chamber 5 inaddition to opo crating the engine also passes through passages 18 and19 when they are in correspondence, so that during the vibration ofpiston 9 a number of short puffs are sent up the resonator 23, thecolumn of airin whichis thrown The length and size of this resonatorwill therefore determine the periodicity of the motor, as it will beevident that the column of air therein will exert considerable influenceupon the motion of the pisa ton and willtend to make it move at aperiodicity that will correspond or almost correspond with the naturalperiodicity of the resonator. Thus it will be seen that if the length ofthe column of air in the resonator be slightly 5 increased the action ofthe reciprocating engine will be slightly retarded, while if the lengthbe reduced the action of the engine will be accelerated.

It must be understood that the exact construction of the enginedescribed may be varied Without departing from my invention, though Ideem the construction described an important one.

\Vhat I claim is- 1. The combination with a piston, means for positivelyoperating same by fluid-pres sure on both sides, and a surroundingcylinder, of two parts having passages in same, one of said parts beingmovable, a connection between it and the piston, and a chamher on oneside of said parts containing fluid under pressure adapted to passthrough the passages when they coincide the other side of the partsbeing open to the atmosphere substantially as described.

2. In combination a cylinder having a passage in the walls of same, achamber for a fluid under pressure on one side of the cylinder, a secondchamber to which the cylinder is open on the other side, a piston havinga passage in same open to the atmosphere on one side and adapted tocorrespond with the passage in the cylinder at times for exhaustpurposes and a sound-producing device carried by said piston and capableof being vibrated thereby, substantially as described.

3. A sound-producing device comprising a piston-engine, means forpositively operating the piston of same in both directions, a vibratingsound-producing device operated by the engine, and a resonator the sizeof the column of air in which, is adapted to directly modify theperiodicity of the engine substantially as described.

1. In a sound-producing device the combination with a resonator and achamber for a supply of fluid under pressure of a series of passagesforming a communication between the resonator and the air-supply, meansfor opening and closing such series of passages and a piston-engineconnected to such means for positively operating same, substantially asdescribed.

5. In a sound-producing device, the combination with a resonator, and achamber fora supply of fluid under pressure, of a tubular part having aseries of passages forming a communication between the resonator and theair-supply, a second part having a similar series of passages, apiston-engine connected to one of these parts to reciprocate same andoperated by the fluid from the chamber above mentioned, and stops forlimiting the movement of the reciprocating part so that it shall notmove so far as to be put out of action when idle, substantially asdescribed.

6. In a sound-producing device and in com bination, a resonator, atubular part having passages therein communicating with same, a cylinderhaving corresponding passages communicating with a supply of fluid underpressure, a piston carried by the tubular part, in communication withthe air-supply, a cylinder for such piston, and suitable air inlet andexhaust passages, substantially as described.

7. The combination with a cylinder having a series of passages therein,a tubular piston having a similar series of passages, a chamher forfluid under pressure surrounding same, a piston 8 carried by thefirst-named piston, and having an exhaust passage in same communicatingwith its periphery and with the tubular part, a second cylindersurrounding the piston Shaving a chamber in same, and a passage adaptedto communicate with it and with the chamber for fluid under pressure orthe exhaust-passage in the piston.

8. In a sound-producing device, a cylinder having a series of annularpassages, a chamber for fluid under-pressure surrounding same, webs 20connecting the parts of the 7 cylinder between the passages, a secondcylinder 3 carried by such webs and having a passage communicating withits interior and the chamber for fluid under pressure, a tubular pistonfor the first cylinder having a series of annular passages, webs 13connect ing the parts of the piston between the passages, a secondpiston-8 carriedtby the first piston, and having an exhaust-passageadapted'to communicate with the passage in cylinder 3 and with itstubular interior, and means for limiting the movement of piston-8 in itscylinder substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

" ROBERT HOPE-JONES.

Witnesses: l

ALLEN PARRY JONES, A. KNIGHT CROAD.

